Title: Eight Ways to Say I Love You
Author: Amanda Elliot
Narrators: Dara Rosenberg & Eli Schiff
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: October 27, 2026
Length: 384 pages
Audio length: 10 hours 18 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley; audiobook via Audible
Rating:
A spark of attraction burns brighter each year between childhood friends in this sweeping Hanukkah romance by USA Today bestselling author Amanda Elliot.
This Hanukkah, Shira Levinson is returning home to New Jersey riding the high of achieving major milestones. Though she only just graduated from college, she’s got her dream job and a perfect Los Angeles apartment—an actual miracle in the city of dreams.
Life has not been quite as kind to Leo David. Not only did he fail out of college, he was forced to move in with his estranged dad, who he still hates for cheating on his mom years ago. The only silver lining? Getting to see Shira, his childhood friend (and crush, though he’ll never tell her that) while she’s home for her family’s holiday party.
But that’s just the beginning. Over the next eight years, Shira’s and Leo’s lives spin them in all sorts of directions as they grow and change, taking them places they never imagined going. Sometimes those paths take them farther away from each other, and other times closer together. If they can only time it right, they might uncover a love that burns forever.
It’s fall, the holiday season is racing toward us… and it’s the perfect time for a Hanukkah romance! After really enjoying Amanda Elliot’s 2024 novel, Love You a Latke, I was eager to get my hands (ears) on this new release.. and I’m happy to report that Eight Ways to Say I Love You does not disappoint.
Shira and Leo were best friends, inseparable throughout their childhoods — so close that they were constantly running in and out of one another’s houses, no need to knock. But their time together came to a crashing halt when Leo’s dad cheated and Leo’s mom decided to get a fresh start, moving with Leo from their New Jersey home to be with her family in Michigan. At age 14, both Shira and Leo were devastated and promised to stay in touch — but teen life and high school pressures got in the way, and suddenly, eight years went by with no contact at all.
As the story opens, Shira is twenty-two, working tirelessly toward her goal of a thriving art career. Living in LA, she has an impressive job at a gallery and has also secured representation for her own first exhibit. Shira has devoted her high school and college years to making the right impressions — joining clubs, taking on leadership roles, and checking all the boxes — and it’s paid off. She’s firmly on the road to success.
Not so for Leo. Dropping out of college due to burn-out and lack of funds, he’s been forced to move back in with his dad, with whom he’s barely spoken all these years, still feeling furious about how he destroyed their family. Leo works in a warehouse, plays video games, and has no idea what to do with himself. But when Shira shows up for her annual Hanukkah visit and Leo sees her for the first time in eight years, the old crush comes back to life. As the two friends reconnect, it’s clear that they’re in very different places in their lives… and a major misunderstanding seems like it might put an end to their rekindled friendship before it truly gets a chance.
And yet… over the following years, during each Hanukkah visit, Leo and Shira spend more time together, and slowly work their way back toward friendship, connection, and possibly something more. As their lives and careers and families cycle through ups and downs, we see how Leo and Shira each grow and change, in many ways inspired by one another. Shira is forced to reassess her life and her constant need to perform, and to take stock of what truly matters to her. Leo finds new meaning and purpose, and even manages to start to engage with his father again, realizing that past hurts don’t mean that rebuilding isn’t possible.
Along the way, Shira and Leo’s lives are each informed by their connection to Jewish traditions and community. The sense of Jewish joy is pervasive throughout this lovely story, and feels heartening and wonderful to witness.
I appreciated the challenges of Leo and Shira’s growth over the years. This isn’t an insta-love story. Sure, their happiness at reconnecting after so many years apart is evident right from the start, but it takes years and lots of effort for them to rebuild trust, open up to one another, and start putting aside the assumptions and roadblocks that get in their way. It’s not easy, but they value one another enough to make the effort.
Narrators Dara Rosenberg and Eli Schiff alternate chapters as they voice Shira and Leo, and their voices provide warmth, personality, and emotion. It’s a lovely listen, with humor lightening the mood yet with space for the more serious moments to play out as well.
Eight Ways to Say I Love You feels like a great way to get in the Hanukkah mood! Highly recommended.
Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
It looks like a cute read!